Canada and the United States may not strike fear in the world of conventional soccer, but put the game on a soft sand beach and they're world powers.
The two North American sides advanced to the FIFA World Cup finals Nov. 2-12 on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach, following weekend wins in qualifying to dominate the regional beach soccer playdowns for CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football).
Canada's national team scored an historic 6-4 victory against host Costa Rica on Saturday night at Playa Jaco, while the United States fell 3-2 to the Costa Ricans Sunday. Both North American teams finished the tournament with 9 points, but the United States chalked up the regional title because of a 3-0 win over Canada in the opener of preliminary play.
"One of the important things that has helped us is that we enjoyed what we did and enjoyed competing in this tournament," said Canada's head coach Ross Onagro. "I can not imagine what it will be like to play in Rio de Janeiro, at the World Cup. I only promised my players that we will do a good job and look what we have accomplished here and take the momentum with us to Brazil in November."
Two goals by Canadian beach star Kyriakos Selaidopoulos and singles from Ian Carlos Diaz, Damir Deco Jesic, Sipho Sibiya and Kyle Yamada lifted the Canadians to their win over Costa Rica for a third consecutive win after the opening disappointment.
Canada also triumphed 6-4 over Mexico, and 7-3 victory over Jamaica.
It marks the first time since the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico that a Canadian senior men's team has qualified for a FIFA World Cup final of any kind.
The finals will be a homecoming for Brazilian-born U.S. coach Roberto Ceciliano. "My team didn't play as well as I would have liked, but thank God we qualified,"
Beach soccer, developed on the sands of Brazil, is a five-a—side game (goalkeeper and four players) with unlimited substitutions. A game consists of three 12-minute periods. Because of the unusual soft field surface, much of the game takes place with the ball in the air.
Mexico's Ricardo Villalobos finished top scorer of the qualifying tournament with seven goals. Canada werasawarded the Fair Play prize and their goalkeeper, Jim Larkin, was named top net minder. The tournament's most valuable player was veteran U.S. captain Francis Farberoff.
The United States and Canada join hosts Brazil, Europe's five representatives Spain, Portugal, Poland, Italy and France, Uruguay and Argentina from South America, Bahrain, Japan and Iran and Oceania's hopeful Solomon Islands in the second FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.
In the official draw for Rio, the United States was placed into Group A alongside Brazil, Poland and Japan. Canada will have to battle it out in Group B with Spain, France and Iran.
